1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for continuously forming a composite material shape member having a varied cross-sectional shape, and a movable mold used for the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An art is known for obtaining a formed product having a desired cross-sectional shape by heating and forming a prepreg material formed by impregnating long fibers such as carbon fibers and glass fibers with thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin and phenol resin. Carbon fibers and glass fibers have high strength per unit weight, and especially high tensile strength, so that when the fibers are laminated with the fiber directions disposed in the vertical, horizontal and oblique directions to form a composite material, the created product has light weight, high specific strength and high specific modulus, and they are widely applied in the field of aircrafts and industrial products.
The forming material is formed by laminating a large number of layers, each layer formed by arranging carbon fibers or glass fibers impregnated with thermosetting resin in parallel or by a woven cloth formed of these fibers, and if necessary, a roving of such fibers is arranged between the layers to create the forming material. As for the forming method and forming apparatus, a plurality of belt-like prepreg materials supplied via bobbins are heated and pressed via a heated upper die and a lower die of a hot press device by which the materials are formed into a desired cross-sectional shape, and thereafter, the formed member is completely cured in a cure furnace to be finished as a product. During the process, the formed member is moved within the apparatus by being continuously pulled via a puller device arranged at the lower-stream area of the apparatus.
Japanese patent No. 3400399 (patent document 1) filed by the present applicant discloses the above-described art.
By applying the disclosed art, the composite material can be formed continuously into an H-shaped member or the like, but the art cannot be applied to forming shape members having cross-sectional shapes varied in some areas.
Therefore, the present applicant proposes in Japanese patent application laid-open publication No. 2008-213311 (patent document 2) a method for continuously molding a composite material having stepwise cross-sectional thickness.
According to the art disclosed in patent document 2, prepreg peel plies are laminated on both sides of a prepreg laminated body, and after molding, the peel plies are peeled and removed in order to obtain a product having a varied cross-sectional thickness.